A Bit of Good Luck, Some Holiday Flavors, and Bit of a Bummer

To get a minor disappointment out of the way, my husband told me Gary Larson asks that no one posts his Far Side comics on social media. It’s understandable since everyone has to make a living, so here is a link to The Daily Dose. I don’t know if ad blockers will prevent viewing, but be sure to show him some love by clicking on the hearts if you can and do visit.

Meanwhile, I’ve been experimenting a little in the kitchen. It started with leftover apple cider from a failed recipe. I debated how to cut the sweetness and am not a big fan of hot drinks, though mulled cider is nice. Then I remembered my reduced calorie cranberry juice cocktail contains apple. Mixing one part cider with about three parts juice, it turned out okay. Then I added a can of diet 7Up. Yum… Refreshing, too. There is no picture because, to be honest, the muddy color looks unappealing. If you try some variation or other let me know what you think.

This morning I tried a simple recipe from ‘American Lifestyle’ magazine and baked actual cookies for a change. While our ground ginger and cinnamon are ancient, the treats turned out tasty. I almost ruined them, however. This recipe calls for baking soda, not the baking powder I pulled to mix with the flour and spices. What luck I caught and corrected that error in time. I wonder how they would have turned out. Not good, I imagine.

I lacked the pretty crystal sugar;
and we didn't miss it...

Do you know the difference between baking soda and powder? Did you know that freezing peeled ginger root both keeps it fresh and makes shredding easier?

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I Know I Should Stop, But...

 

One of the World's Goofiest Looking Predators - WARNING: Creepy Insect Closeup

We enjoy our nature shows and my husband has been finding all sorts to distract me from current events. Thanks, honey!

One awkward looking insect fascinates me. Called assassin bugs, this large family of ambush predators are widespread.

I did not know we had them in Ohio before discovering this critter outside our front door. Thanks to Horizon Pest Control for some interesting facts.

And below is the creepy image...

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What are you looking at, human?

Doesn't that tiny head look goofy on such a big body? And isn't its retractable piercing beak bizarre? Did you know that some species know as 'kissing bugs' spread deadly Chagas disease among humans?

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Origins of the Term 'Whippersnapper' & An Example of the Opposite

Out of curiosity, I looked up the term 'whippersnapper' and found an interesting origin story. I owe thanks to Phrases.org for the following...

Young layabouts in the 17th century were known by various names, all of them derived from the habit of hanging around snapping whips to pass the time. Originally these ne'er-do-wells were known simply, and without any great linguistic imagination, as 'whip snappers'. This term merged with an existing 17th century term for street rogues - 'snipper snappers', to become 'whipper snapper'.

While researching I stood using a cat tree perch as a sort of standing desk. One level is the ideal height. And Jezebel, not a lap cat, gave me a pleasant surprise by curling up on the sofa inches away. It's funny how she acts all casual about it while often wanting to be near me.

I hope Brad Pitt wouldn't mind
a cat butt in his face.

Isn't it funny how cats like to lay on things (like my messenger bag here)? Do you think they do so because the object smells like his or her slave human?

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The Best Humor has a Grain of Truth

 

The term 'whippersnapper' comes to mind. Heh...

Have you ever heard this antiquated insult?

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The Shoe is the Muse?

Artistic Inspiration a la Gary Larson

 

Yeah, Baby!

Check out that quote at upper right:
"Hey, I am sexy to you now."
That's not at all creepy.
Right?

 

Where the Bodies are Buried

My dreams keep getting weirder and weirder. The other night, what my dreaming self thought to be a church with attached graveyard ended up being a private home. That wasn’t scary. The live inhabitants’ ominous activities threatening me inside the house turned things nightmarish.

Sad to say, that’s been my imagination’s sole outlet. My writing challenge project, supposed to be a lighthearted romantic comedy, morphed into an unrelated satirical story before petering out on the ninth. Oh, well. I’m not upset since I considered skipping National Novel Writhing Month altogether, both this November and in 2019 (!) for various reasons. I do need to let my fellow writers know I’m still alive.

~grin~

And that nightmare brought to mind a question. You see, here in Ohio one can often find tiny cemeteries on private land, especially on multi-generational family farms. The picture below is from Island Farm on Roanoke Island North Carolina. I think the epitaph is wonderful.

Fannie B. Dough
Born July 14, 1826
Died Aug. 2, 1894
Age 68 yrs.
As a wife, devoted;
As a mother, affectionate;
As a friend, ever kind and true.

Would an attached burial ground sway you from buying an otherwise ideal home or would you simply honor and care for these harmless neighbors’ plots? What about where you live now? Have seen any private ancestral cemeteries?

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